On Character

I was at the store the other day, buying some bananas or flaxseeds or whatever, and the person scanning my stuff asked if I had any plans for the day. I told them I just had some homework to do, and on the subject of school, I mentioned that I'd just picked up my cap and gown that day. As the conversation went on, they mentioned that their mom has three degrees, all in different fields, and all motivated solely by personal interest. I said that the best thing I've gotten out of college is character development, which is why Didion's line on page 216 stood out to me so strongly:

"...character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self-respect springs."

I love this definition of character. I always think of character as sort of an intangible, abstract concept, and I guess it is, but thinking of it as almost a verb helps me to conceptualize it. It also helps give me something to work toward, in the lifelong quest of character building.

It makes sense to think of enrolling in college as a way to take responsibility for one's own life, or at least to take one's life in one's own hands. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I changed my major a number of times before deciding on one that I really felt comfortable with. Biology and nursing were both fields that I was pushed into by my mom, who had some vision of me as an employable person. When I decided on English, it was all me, and at that point I'd already dropped out twice. The commitment I've carried out to myself is, I suppose, something to be proud of, if pride can be equated with self-respect.